NEWS RELEASE
Four Hoosiers who have given their time and talents mentoring young people will be honored during Freetown Village’s 6th annual “Making A Difference” event on Tuesday, September 17.
The awards dinner will be from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., at IUPUI University Tower Hall Ballroom, (formerly University Place Conference Center and Hotel Ballroom), located on the IUPUI campus.
LISTEN: Open Lines Interview with Freetown Village
This year’s awardees are:
Venita Moore, managing principal partner of Engaging Solutions, a management consulting firm
Myla A. Eldridge, Marion County Clerk
Deon Harris, an Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officer and volunteer with the Our Kids (OK) Program
and Dr. Leonard Scott, senior pastor of Rock Community Church, dentist, owner of Scott Dentistry and Tyscot Records.
All four awardees have a long history of community service. They mentored young participants of Freetown Village’s summer day camp, a program held annually exposing young people to successful African Americans from Indianapolis and throughout the nation. “We want our campers to know that there are successful people living right here in Indianapolis. We may never know how this exposure may impact their lives and career choices,” said Program Director Marriam Umar.
In addition to being recognized during the awards program, all four achievers have participated in recorded interviews conducted by Storytelling Arts of Indiana. Since 2003, Freetown Village awardee interviews have been archived at the Indiana Historical Society. Segments of their interviews are on line at lifestoriesproject.net.
Freetown Village is a living history museum without walls. Its mission is to educate the public about African American lives, arts and culture in Indiana through living history, exhibits, allied programs and the collection and preservation of artifacts.
